Chapter 28: The Wedding
It was a perfect day for a wedding. The weather was beautiful, the air cool enough to keep everyone from sweating in their formal wear, but warm enough to keep everyone happy. The birds chirped their merry songs. There was not a cloud in the sky and the sun shone brightly over the guests gathered at the home of one of Konoha's most illustrious clans. They all waited eagerly for their first sight of the newly-married couple.
The bride and groom looked out into the courtyard where their guests awaited them. Behind them, the clan's Shinto shrine stood as background. The groom was dressed in a black kimono, while beside him, the bride was resplendent in a heavy white kimono. Her hair was up, flowers woven delicately into the strands of her hair. On her cheeks was a faint blush of pink, her lips shiny and red.
The groom looked at her and marveled at her beauty, thanking his lucky stars that she had agreed to his proposal and had given him her hand in marriage.
"You ready?" the groom asked gently, his eyes full of love, reaching out for his bride's outstretched hand.
The bride's serene face suddenly changed expression as she glared at him and snorted with irritation. "I've been ready for ages! You're the one who's caused the delay and kept us behind schedule."
The groom's loving expression turned to exasperation. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Man, this is such a pain in the ass.
Temari's green eyes flashed with agitation. "You just thought I'm being a pain in the ass, didn't you?"
Shikamaru flushed but he kept quiet.
"You have some nerve asking me if I'm ready!"
"Temari, stop it," came Gaara's calming voice. "You should smile. They're taking pictures."
Beside him, Kankuro laughed. "Yeah, sis! You don't want all your wedding photos to have the same angry face!"
Temari fought to compose her face into a more pleasant expression, but her eyes still shot daggers at her husband.
The wedding attendant looked nervously at the couple, who were doing a silent battle with their eyes. But eventually, Shikamaru smiled and Temari had to laugh. The assistant breathed a sigh of relief.
"Er, we're only ten minutes behind schedule, Shikamaru and Temari, so everything is going okay. But if you both would follow me, it's time for you guys to meet the guests."
Shikamaru offered his arm and Temari snorted again, but she had a smile on her face. The attendant, also dressed in a kimono, led them slowly out of the doors, where they were met with applause.
Naruto stood with Hinata and watched as the couple entered the courtyard. He felt his heart lift to see Shikamaru looking so happy and blissful. Temari looked pleased, but her expression was more muted than his. Beside her, Gaara and Kankuro looked on with encouragement.
Hinata sighed and tightened her arm around Naruto's waist. "They look lovely. I'm so happy for the both of them."
Naruto smiled at her and pressed a kiss on top of her head. "Yeah."
The newly-married couple made their way slowly around the courtyard, stopping to greet and chat with every guest.
"That's it! I've decided. I'm not going with a kimono for mine. Temari looks amazing, of course, but I think I want to wear an actual dress so I can move more freely," Ino said as she observed Temari walking in short, mincing steps, her kimono restricting her movements.
"Ino, you would be so gorgeous in a wedding dress!" Sakura cried.
"Oh, I know," came Ino's cheeky response.
Hinata laughed along with them.
Sakura looked at Hinata and Naruto and pursed her lips when she saw the diamond glinting on Hinata's ring finger. "How are your preparations going?"
Naruto gave a guilty start. He rubbed the back of his head as he glanced at Sakura. "I just proposed a couple of weeks ago. To be honest, I haven't really thought about it."
Hinata patted his arm reassuringly and smiled at him. Then she turned to Sakura and Ino. "Yeah, I haven't had the time either, but I think we're just going to take it slowly. There's no rush. Plus, I want to enjoy my time being an engaged woman."
"I wish I'd taken that stance," Ino said. "But Sai's the one in a rush and I didn't have the heart to say no."
They looked at Sai, who'd gone to get drinks for Ino and Sakura, and was now making his way back towards them.
Hinata stepped out of Naruto's arms and suddenly hugged Ino. She glanced at Sakura, who laughed and added her own arms to the girl hug.
"And we don't blame him, Ino! I'm just overjoyed that he's finally going to join your family, to have a place to belong. Your mother was so ecstatic the last time I saw her at the shop. He'll be Sai Yamanaka from here on and that's so amazing for all of you."
Ino sniffled, but she gave a happy laugh. "Hinata! Don't make me cry! It's going to ruin my make-up."
Sakura chuckled and took out a tissue from her purse. "Here, let me fix this part here." And she proceeded to wipe at the smudge marks around Ino's eyes.
"Sorry, Ino," Hinata said apologetically. "But in a couple of months, we'll have another wedding to look forward to. I'm just so excited."
Sai finally worked his way around the other guests and was handing drinks to Ino and Sakura when Chouji joined them just then, looking so morose without Karui. Everyone did their best to cheer him up.
"It's really too bad that she had a mission and Karui couldn't make it, Chouji. But she'll be here next month for a visit, though. That's something to look forward to!" Hinata said with an encouraging smile.
"I guess," Chouji said with a pout.
"Chouji, cheer up! She'll be here again," Naruto said with a grin.
Gaara and Kankuro came to join them, too, and they all chatted and caught up, waiting for the bride and groom to reach their group. Naruto made sure to have Hinata as far away from Gaara's older brother as possible and held her arm to make the ring on her finger as obvious as possible. Kankuro only smirked at him as he drank from his glass.
And then Shikamaru and Temari were descending on them and there were lots of happy tears, boisterous hugging, and lots more laughter as the friends all basked in the union of this unlikely couple.
"Stop fussing, Ino! I'm fine. This is such a pain in the ass!" Shikamaru complained. He had to glower at them, especially at Ino, who kept touching his kimono. She was trying to fix the folds of the fabric because they'd wrinkled it with their fierce hugs. Meanwhile, Sakura and Hinata were trying to put the flowers back in Temari's hair. She only laughed and bore it all with goodwill. Kankuro finally had to step in and repair the damage.
The men only looked on, beaming at Shikamaru, who'd gotten off his lazy ass and had actually taken the initiative to become the first one of their group to step into the crazy world of marriage.
He took the teasing well and shook his head at them, particularly at Chouji, who still felt the loss of Karui from his side.
"Chouji…" Shikamaru started to say, but he laughed instead. "Look, they're giving the signal for the meal."
And Chouji perked up. They all walked to the banquet hall, preceded by the newly-married couple. As soon as the guests were settled in their places, Shikamaru stood up from the dais where he and Temari were seated. There was a hush as everyone looked at him expectantly.
"I'm not really the type to make speeches…" Shikamaru began, but he was blinded by the sudden grins that met his statement.
Everyone could hear him finishing the thought with: because it's such a pain in the ass.
He smiled back at all of them, but for the first time in his life, didn't say it out loud.
"But thank you all for coming. Temari and I are happy to be spending this day with you, celebrating love and life with people who've given us joy."
He gave her a grin and then turned back to the guests.
"My father once said, 'No matter how strong-minded a woman is, she will show kindness to the man she loves.'"
They all looked at the table where Shikamaru's mother sat. Beside her, the photo of Shikaku Nara was in full display. His mother dabbed at her eyes, but she was happy as she looked at her son and his new bride.
"We've lost a lot of people in our lives, but they never really leave us. I wish my father could be here to see me marry the woman I love, but I feel his spirit here with us. And that's enough."
Temari reached out a hand and grasped Shikamaru's. He squeezed it, glanced at her briefly, and continued speaking. "But this day is a celebration, where mine and Temari's future begins."
Shikamaru looked through the crowd and found Kurenai sitting with Mirai. The little girl had a yellow dress on and was sitting, swinging her legs on the chair, waiting for the speech to end so she could finally touch the pink cake on the plate. Kurenai nodded at Shikamaru.
He glanced at Kakashi, Kankuro, and Gaara and added, "This union is also a reminder that we're all one shinobi world. Our marriage binds Konoha and Suna together, emphasizing the fact that our world is small but also linked together by so much love."
He laughed when he felt everyone getting restless. "Okay, I've gone on too long. That's probably the longest speech I've ever given, but I just wanted to say thank you all."
Shikamaru then held up the glass of champagne in his hand. Everyone did the same. "Kanpai!"
Naruto sat through it all with a smile on his face, but he felt a pang in his heart. He'd come to a realization when he glanced at the table where Shikamaru's mother sat with the photo of her husband. When it came to his and Hinata's wedding, the same thing would probably happen. They would need photos, too. Lots of it.
Inexplicably, the grief that always lingered in his heart drifted into his soul, filling him with sadness on this happy day. The drowning feeling engulfed him as he realized that like Shikamaru, his father and his master would not be there to celebrate with him. Nor his mother. His family.
Hinata felt his sorrow and reached out. She laid a hand on his chest and smiled at him. "Hey," she said gently. "Come back."
And at the sound of her sweet voice, Naruto did, feeling the warmth of her love wrap around him, easing the tightness in his chest, reminding him that there was a celebration. All around him, his friends were upbeat, chatting with each other. Ino was smiling at Shikamaru and Temari as she held hands with Sai. Chouji and Sakura were commiserating with each other about their significant others being missing from the wedding.
Hinata squeezed his hand and then leaned over to kiss him. "Even though his father's not here, look at how Shikamaru overflows with joy when he's with Temari. Just remember that."
Yeah, Naruto thought, glancing at Hinata beside him as they walked home from the wedding. There was a lot of joy in his life now.
But he knew that grief would always be a part of him, it would never leave him. There was nothing he could do about it because this was the way his life had turned out. He just wouldn't let it consume him.
He felt Hinata's hand on his arm, remembered her touching her chest when he'd eavesdropped on her conversation with Neji at his grave.
"I still feel him here, you know."
Grief. It was the same for her.
Naruto then remembered Kakashi's words, that day when he'd sought advice from the Hokage. Each time he felt the pain of loss, he would remember all the people who'd touched his life and take that opportunity to be grateful he'd had the chance to meet them when he'd been younger.
So he said a prayer: Thank you, all of you.
He grinned up at the Hokage Monument and gazed at his father. Looking at the face on the rock, it felt like Minato hadn't really left him at all. Naruto placed a hand on his stomach. He could still feel his father's and his mother's chakra within him.
Naruto looked at Hinata walking quietly beside him, looking beautiful and elegant in the dark purple kimono she wore to the wedding. And he felt joy flooding him. He would just create memories, then, new ones—not to replace his old ones—but to build upon them. He was just going to add to the memories he had of his parents, of Jiraiya, of his friends, all the people he carried within him.
Memories...
New ones to make him whole again. New ones with Hinata.
Naruto felt peace stealing into him.
He grinned down at her, a gleam in his eyes. "Hinata, did I tell you that you look beautiful in that kimono?"
She laughed as she looked up into his eyes when he'd asked the question. "Yes, you already did. Thank you!"
His arm tightened around her waist. His voice dropped to a whisper. "When we get home, I want to undress you slowly."
She gasped, and he could see the flush on her cheeks.
"I want a new memory of you, Hinata. This will be the first time I'll be making love to you in a kimono."
And he continued to whisper in her ear what he was going to do to her in that kimono until they got home.
It was like opening a birthday present, Naruto thought. Only it was more erotic and more satisfying.
They stood in his living room, smiling at each other. He pulled the pins from her hair and watched the dark tendrils fall slowly against the creamy skin on her neck. He pressed his mouth at the base of her throat. Hinata closed her eyes even as his hands wandered lower.
Working on her clothing next, he tugged at the strings that bound the golden obi around her waist and watched as the stiff cloth fell away slowly from her body. The silky fabric of the kimono slowly parted to reveal Hinata's skin. She sighed as he trailed his fingers down her front. His lips soon followed, leaving her gasping as he worked his way down the valley between her breasts. He quickly got rid of her underwear but left the kimono on.
Naruto's breath left him as he gazed at her. Hinata looked wild and sensuous with her dark hair and the vibrant folds of the purple kimono billowing around her.
"No fair," she said as she stopped him with a hand on his chest. She looked at him and smiled, her eyes hungry as she took in the heat in his eyes and the flush on his skin. "I want to undress you, too."
Naruto's lips stretched into a smile. He'd already shrugged off the jacket of his suit earlier so she reached for his vest.
"Did I tell you that you look very handsome in your suit?" she teased as she worked on the buttons.
He laughed even as her compliment warmed him and sent his desire for her into overdrive. "Yes, you did. But I don't mind hearing it again and again."
She was pink, but she smiled seductively then leaned up to whisper in his ear. "You are so handsome, you leave me breathless every time I look at you. But you look even better with nothing on."
He tensed and was about to hug her, but she shook her head at him. "I want to finish undressing you first."
His eyes were glinting at her with amusement. "Hurry up, then."
She only laughed and took her time. When Hinata was done with his vest, she worked on the buttons of his shirt, pulling them out of his waistband and running her palms over the skin it revealed. She unbuckled his belt and helped him shrug off his pants and his underwear, leaving him completely naked. She was still wearing the kimono loose around her, and every time she leaned into him and kissed a part of his body, he felt the silky fabric brush against his skin.
He drew her to him, guided her to the bed. They were kneeling on his mattress, facing each other, and Hinata liked that she could see him and watch his eyes close as she ran her hands down his body, lingering on the length of him, slowly caressing until he breathed deeply, opened his eyes and pounced on her.
Then she was on her back as his lips were kissing her breasts, on her nipples while his fingers were between her legs, gently, but ruthlessly, teasing. The silky kimono wrapped around her and him, and the contrast of it added to the feeling of sensuality around them. His teeth gently bit her nipple just as he touched the spot deep within her core that caused her to tense up, close her eyes and cry out softly, releasing the breath she'd been holding as pleasure overtook her.
She found herself suddenly being lifted up to her knees, his gentle hands sliding the kimono off her body, leaving her finally naked to his touch. Naruto held her against him, his stomach was at her lower back, his chest to her shoulders. Hinata leaned her head back against his shoulder as his lips burned a path down the right side of her neck. She had to raise her arm and hook it around his head for support. Her fingers threaded through his hair as he angled her mouth to meet his kiss.
His knees were on the bed, his thighs were spread, clamped around her, anchoring them to the mattress. She was on her knees, too, but sitting upright and had to steady herself by planting a hand on top of his thigh. She could feel him trying to gain entrance into her, but his mouth was still busy on her lips. He seemed satisfied to just linger and kiss her, but she soon became impatient and squirmed against him.
Naruto laughed and pulled slightly away from her mouth. "Sorry, but I just want to kiss you like this while I can still think."
Think, she thought with amusement but it quickly faded when his lips were on hers again. He was relentless, drawing from her small cries of pleasure as his tongue ravaged deeply in her mouth.
He kept kissing her while his hands smoothed over her stomach and breasts. Then he was slowly moving both hands to the space between her thighs.
"Hinata, spread your legs just a little bit more," he whispered against her mouth.
She did, and she felt his purr of satisfaction at her back.
His fingers slid once more into her, readying her. She let out another moan and pressed the back of her head more firmly against his shoulder.
"I want to do it this way," he said.
"Yes," she breathed against his neck.
Naruto was so hot against her back. His chest, his abdomen, his unyielding muscles crowded her, made her feel safe but also made her feel excited, filled her with anticipation for his hard thrusts. He was panting against her temple now, matching her breath as she felt his fingers slide deep within her. But one of his hands went back to kneading her breasts, rubbing against her nipples, sending more heat running through her body.
"Thing is, Hinata, I really think I'm becoming a true disciple of Ero-sennin," he whispered with apology, his mouth close to her ear.
"Becoming!" she said with a surprised snort, her laughter tinged with disbelief, then ended in a low groan as he finally slid up into her. She lost her train of thought as he moved underneath her, his strong arms robbing her of breath as they clamped around her midriff, his teeth nipping at her neck as each upward thrust brought her closer and then sent her tumbling over the edge as she shattered.
Then he bent her body forward and gripped her hips to the angle he wanted. He was slow at first, leisurely moving behind her, and Hinata felt herself clamping around him as she felt each delicious slide. He felt it, too, and Naruto exhaled her name in a long, drawn out breath even as he tried to keep his slow, sure rhythm.
But his hands were now firmly against her waist, his stroking became quicker as he closed in on his own pleasure. Naruto finally tensed behind her and she could feel the intensity of his heat as he spent himself inside her.
He breathed a sigh of satisfaction as he took her down with him onto the bed. She spooned against him and felt him gently brush away the locks of hair that had fallen over her face.
Hinata laughed. "Naruto, you know you're way past the 'becoming' stage, right?"
He chuckled as he kissed her on the ear. "If you say so."
Naruto pulled her closer to him and as he did, his eyes lit upon her gift, the photo of his parents, sitting on the shelf. He smiled.
Memories, he thought again, looking down at Hinata so happy and satisfied as she turned back to kiss him on the mouth. She shifted her head away and yawned. He pressed another kiss on the back of her head.
He would keep the memory of her forever in his heart.
He continued to hold her and Hinata was content to drowse away for a nap. But her eyelids suddenly flicked open when she felt another poke at her backside.
Naruto was rubbing her arm. "Hinata," he said, his voice teasing and cajoling. "How about another memory?"
Her shoulders shook with silent laughter. She then shifted on the bed so she could turn around and look fully into his face, at the blue eyes already gleaming with mischief and smoldering with anticipation.
"Hinata, what about page fifty-seven of Icha Icha Paradise? Do you want to give that one a go?"
There was a horrified laugh, then in the silence that followed, her quiet voice said, "Maybe."